Former French first lady Danielle Mitterrand died early on Tuesday aged 87.
Mrs. Mitterrand died Tuesday aged 87 in a Paris hospital a few days after being having been admitted for fatigue and breathing troubles. Born Danielle Gouze on October 29 1924 in the eastern town of Verdun, her father was a teacher and a socialist. She preferred to shun the glittering receptions at the Elysee Palace, and devote herself to human rights work. She was married to the French President François Mitterrand for 51 years, but played the roles of both wife and “first lady” in unique, sometimes disconcerting fashion. The couple had two sons, Gilbert and Jean-Christophe. Danielle Mitterrand wrote several books apart from her memoir including, most recently, Mot à mot (2010).
